Demons
by Descending Rival
Summary: In an alternate universe where the culprits are demons, and the victims and survivors are demon hunters, freelance hunter Hinata finds himself pulled into a fight far beyond what he's known before, with Komaeda and Nanami at the center of the mystery. Big spoilers for dangan ronpa and super dangan ronpa 2.
1. Chapter 1

With a flash of red light, Hinata jerked awake. Fear filled his chest and the last images of his nightmare faded from his vision as his eyes adjusted to the dark room. He felt sticky, covered in sweat, and his whole body felt tangled and itchy, as though he was submerged in the fur as some huge animal, or in spiderwebs, or… hair. With deep breaths, he pushed the fleece blankets of his bed down to his knees and laid on his side, noting the small streak of sunlight that was trying to peak through the corners of the thick curtains in his room. Morning. It was morning.

"…You had another nightmare?" A voice asked from behind him, sounding almost flat and uninterested. Hinata had learned not to take that personally. He sat up in bed and looked around, noticing the light of a portable video game illuminating the face of Chiaki Nanami, who was sitting on his dresser with her legs curled up beneath her and her long turquoise coat dangling off the edge. She lowered the 3DS and tilted her head. "…But you don't remember it again." This time it wasn't a question. He hadn't remembered any of his nightmares for the past two months. Why should this one be any different?

Most people would have been surprised to find a young girl sitting on their dresser, but he only nodded his head and pushed back the curtains to let in the blinding light of morning. Nanami had shown up at his doorstep a few months ago, just after the nightmares started, offering assistance. And as a freelancing demon hunter, he could use all the help he could get.

After having her knock on his door at ungodly hours four nights in a row, he just gave in and lent her a key to the apartment.

"For someone who's always so tired, you're up at the weirdest hours." He muttered, and she barely twitched in response, clicking away at her game again.

"…Did you find a job?" She asked, and he didn't answer. Most demon hunters hunted demons for a living. They got missions, completed missions, and then they got paid. But him… well it was a different story.

"Do _you_ have a job?" He asked in return. "How do you pay for all those electronics? And I suppose you just sleep in my apartment all the time?" She actually managed to look mildly offended at this, and he'd wager a guess it was because he'd insulted her games.

But she simply murmured "sometimes", hopped off the dresser, and walked towards the door, assumedly to let him put on clean clothes and get ready for the day. He did so, throwing on his white shirt and a tie, with an olive-toned button down jacket for good measure.

He entered the sitting room a few minutes later, buttoning up the jacket.

"So are you leaving, or staying here?" He asked. _Staying here at my apartment, _he thought as the words left his mouth, and took a moment to realize what a bizarre relationship he had with Nanami. Thank god she didn't eat his food too. But she gave him a small smile as she grabbed her hat off the counter, a dark blue one made to resemble cat ears, and turned towards the door, and Hinata realized he had grown a bit of affection towards the gamer over the past few months. Just a bit.

"Okay, I'm going to check out those reports of ghosts later today," he told her as she left. "and maybe try applying to that place down th- uh, what's wrong?" The girl was just standing in his doorway, one hand still on the handle, staring. He couldn't even be completely sure what she was looking at, with the door blocking his sight, but anything that caught her attention more than the game in her hand must be of some significance. So he grabbed his gun off the kitchen counter, slipped it into its' holder on his belt, and moved towards the exit, one hand on the hilt of the gun cautiously.

And just as he reached her, she turned away and kept walking, leaving him slightly dumbfounded in the doorway.

"Ah, hello!" A soft voice greeted, turning Hinata's attention towards a boy that could only really be described as… fluffy. A long green coat, a white scarf wrapped multiple times around his long neck, and extremely wild, fluffy white hair. "You must be my new neighbor." He continued, and the hunter stepped back to look at the rest of the picture. Boxes. The empty apartment. Moving in, right. So what had Nanami been staring at so intently? Was it just another one of her many quirks? He forced himself back to reality, and managed a smile in return.

"Uh, hello." He responded. "I'm Hijime Hinata, nice to meet you."

"Nagito Komaeda." The boys tone was unusually happy, relaxed. Something seemed… off somehow. Or was it Hinata's own nerves causing him to misinterpret the situation? He might have thought so, but then the boy tilted his head slightly to the side, as if something new just occurred to him.

"You're a hunter, aren't you?" He asked happily. Same tone, same voice, as if that were a completely normal question to ask your new neighbor.

For a second, Hinata's heart stopped.

"I-uh, how did you know?" He managed after a moment, even more unsettled than before, and kicking himself for answering honestly.

"Lucky guess." And then he gave a small pained grin, as if that were some sort of inside joke. "I am too. A hunter." That charming smile again.

_But that still isn't something you ask as an introductory question!_ he thought in response, but kept the words to himself.

"Well, I'm not a real hunter." Hinata tried to clarify, uncomfortable and still unnerved by the situation. "I'm not certified by OOH, and I don't have The Gift." He admitted, and shame built up in his chest just saying it aloud. The OOH. The Organization of Hunters. The organization that took down the big demons, kept order, _paid you_, and was made up of hundreds of hunters with The Gift, some sort of power that lent to slaying monsters. It was a power he didn't have, and an organization that had rejected him multiple times. So he fought with guns, and a lot of good that did. But he tried. At least he tried.

"Really?" Komaeda's grin widened, and the excitement in his voice actually took Hinata off-guard. "But you hunt demons anyway, just to help others. Just because you love it. Ah, that's amazing!" He pulled his arms up to his chest, as if giving himself a hug.

"Well… yeah." Suspicious rose in the Hinata's throat. What was wrong with this guy? _Is he… is he a demon? _Hinata stuck to hunting small monsters. Animal like demons, spirits, the occasional ghosts. But he knew there were humanoid demons out there, lots of them. And without any powers to speak of, he wouldn't want to go up against one of them alone.

"Ah, sorry if I scared you Hinata-kun." Komaeda continued, sounding almost normal again. "You see… I don't have any great talent either." Oh. Well he hadn't been expecting that. So, there were others like Hinata? Others that the OOH rejected, and who wanted to be part of this amazing supernatural world? For a second Hinata felt a warmth in his chest, a touch of acceptance and belonging. He quickly pushed it aside, leaving him quite unsure of what to make of his new neighbor.

"Um, would you like to come inside?" He offered, taking a step into his apartment. He had a spiritual barrier at every entryway. If Komaeda was a demon, he shouldn't be able to enter.

But he did. He pushed the last of his boxes through the doorway, and ambled into Hinata's sitting room. For a second, he could swear the barrier flickered, just a short flash of blue light in the doorframe. But no. Spiritual barriers were the one area of magic he could actually manage, the one thing he could do without needing The Gift. If he couldn't trust his barriers, then there was no point in having them at all. Komaeda followed his line of sight and nodded in understanding.

"Oh, you want to know if I'm a demon?" He asked, and Hinata's expression must have been confirmation enough. "No… I'm not a demon." He paused, looking down in thought, before looking up and smiling again. "But there's no harm in checking!" The smile really did seem genuine.

"Yeah, uh, sorry." He apologized, scratching his head. "But with the way my friend was staring at you, I couldn't help but wonder. Sorry about that too, by the way." Lots of apologies.

"Oh, her? Hmm, I do think I know her from somewhere." He said thoughtfully, then grinned. "That's probably why she was staring!" And Hinata couldn't help but wonder where he could possibly know her from, because _he_ sure knew next to nothing about Nanami. There was a moment of silence, and Hinata turned towards his fridge in an attempt to break the awkward atmosphere. Popping open one soda, he held out another to the boy.

"Hey Hinata-kun." Komaeda continued, taking the drink and opening it in one swift motion. "Do you have any interest in the Exorcist Convention?" Hinata froze. _Of course I have interest!_ he wanted to yell. Instead he just shook his head.

"Only hunters certified by the OOH can get in." And how unfortunate that was. The convention had everything. New weapons, updates on recent OOH activity, a general celebration of the hunters in Japan… Everything that was just out of his reach as he struggled to make a living on killing demon nats.

"Oh that's not a problem." The white haired boy waved his hand, still smiling. "I was going to sneak in alone, but I would be happy to bring you with me, Hinata-kun!" Well shit.

On one hand, this was the Exorcist Convention. It was something he'd been hoping to attend for as long as he could remember. It was somewhere he could learn something new, become better, meet new people.

On the other hand, he would have to sneak in with a boy he only met a few minutes ago, and to top it off, he was pretty sure that convention was today.

He felt at least a little bit guilty for choosing the latter.

**A bit of a slow start, but I promise it gets more interesting!**


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Hinata muttered, but he knew Komaeda wasn't to blame. After all, he had agreed with hardly a second thought. He was being so much more reckless than his usual self, and the thrill of sneaking in, and of being part of this amazing event, sent chills down his spine, and nerves pricking at his brain.

Before him was what looked like a normal building. Gray, relatively new, 7 or so stories high, and very, _very_ big. But inside, he knew the Exorcist Convention was going on. Even outside, the area around the building was becoming busy with crowds of people. Many might have been simply enjoying their Saturday morning with a day out, but many were hunters. That man with guns clearly strapped under his jacked. That girl with eyes like darts and a defensive stance you only gained from facing monsters daily. A boy with a sword strapped to his back and scars torn across his face. Hunters, all of them. And the people around here were some interesting characters to be sure.

Without realizing it, he began walking towards the entrance, only to be pulled back by a hand on his arm. Komaeda laughed.

"Hinata-kun, we're not going in that way." And this time his smile was almost devious.

Hinata hesitantly followed his new friend through the thick crowd, for once not overwhelmed by the number of people. Instead he took note of them. Their hair styles, their clothing, scars, weapons, if any were visable, and his heart pounded in his chest with anticipation.

They reached the side of the building, a slim alleyway with wet dripping walls and pavement pulled up under his feet, just waiting to trip him and send him to the ground. As soon as he saw the rickety metal staircase, he had a hunch as to where they were headed.

"Uh, Komaeda-kun. We're not going up there, are we?" Hinata wasn't scared of heights, not really. But there seemed to be a distinct flaw in the staircase plan. The stairs didn't actually lead to the top of the convention building. They led to the top of the building next to it, a business building that was about a story taller than that of their destination. And, as the alley had widened the further down they traveled, the gap between them was easily 15 feet. He felt a pit in his stomach, and hoped Komaeda had a better plan than "jump".

The boy in question turned around, looking successfully innocent for someone about to break into a building.

"Oh, are you scared of heights?" He asked.

"Well, not really, but-"

"Then don't worry! I know what I'm doing." He grinned, and Hinata took a moment to wonder how exactly he new about this "secret entrance" anyway.

At least Komaeda was going up first. If the rusted metal did break, it wouldn't break under Hinata. At least, that's what he told himself. The metal whined under his weight, and sharp shards or rust threatened to slice at his shins, but all things considered, he climbed the stairs easily

The pair climbed until they could look down and see the crowds of people again, colors and shapes moving below, probably getting into the convention without having to risk their lives.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked finally, and Komaeda turned around, a few feet above him on the stairs.

"Hm? Doing what?" He murmured. "I want to go to this convention, just like you, I suppose." His voice was suddenly distant, less sincere than before.

"No, I think I meant, well," Hinata tried to put the words together. "Well you just showed up at in my house and asked me if I wanted to sneak into a demon hunting convention? I've just met you." And he by no means trusted Nagito Komaeda. He just… felt a bit of a connection with him.

"I suppose… I've been wandering aimlessly for a long time." The white hair boy answered, looking over the edge. Then he turned to Hinata and smiled. "Maybe I just think wandering with someone else will be a bit more fun!" And with that he started up the stairs again, leaving Hinata not quite satisfied with his answer.

They soon reached the top, a grated piece of metal with railing that looked less than stable. Next to them was the roof of a building. But not the building they were trying to get in to.

Hinata looked across the gap and felt a pit in his stomach.

"So what's the plan?" He asked nervously, looking down uneasily. Then looked up to find Komaeda climbing up the railing. "What are you doing?!" He yelled.

"Jumping. It's okay, I'll go first!"

_Well fuck._

…_How can he be so calm before jumping over a 70 foot drop?_

He gripped the metal bar and watched, heart pounding. Calmly, Komaeda crouched on the railing, balancing both feet carefully on the bar. He stood up, shakily but confidently, and with a leap, propelled himself across the gap. Even midway through the air, he still looked so at ease, as though it were all in slow motion. With a jolt he hit the rooftop, sliding on the pavement a few meters before standing up and brushing his knees off.

"Come on Hinata-kun!" He called from the other side, grinning at his victory.

Hinata wanted to back out. He wanted to just walk down those stairs and give up. But for some reason, he didn't. He hesitated, his mind going slightly numb with fear.

"It's okay, Hinata-jun! I won't let you fall!" Komaeda's voice called again.

Mindlessly, he climbed the railing, forcing himself not to look down at the gaping alley below him. He could see the other side. It wasn't too far, not horrible. A reasonable distance for a person to jump. He adjusted his feet on the top bar, crouching and taking a deep breath, filling his lungs with what he sure hoped wasn't his last gulp of air.

Then , copying Komaeda, he pushed off the edge and into the air.

In the first few seconds, he took note of a couple things. One, his destination was a story below the ledge he had jumped from, which should make for a higher success rate, but a harder landing. Two, Komaeda was standing on the edge, keeping a close eye on his progress, with an active stance, as though somehow he could help Hinata succeed.

And three, it looked like he was falling too fast to make it.

His heart pounded harder as he realized this, suspended helplessly in the air, and in his fear, he made the deadly mistake of closing his eyes, as if squeezing them shut would transport him someplace else, make it so he wouldn't die when he hit the hard stone awaiting him. He hoped he had at least done some good as a demon hunter.

He hit something very soft, very hard. Still in shock, he waited a few moments, taking careful breaths, before opening his eyes. When he did, he saw green. A green jacket, and a genuinely concerned face looking down at him. Surprised, he pushed himself out of Komaeda's arms.

"Uh, sorry." He mumbled, still confused. "How…?" He didn't bother to finish the question. He made it. He must have miscalculated the jump. It was the only explanation he could think of.

"Are you alright?" Komaeda asked, helping him to his feet. "I didn't realize it would be so difficult. I usually get by with just my luck, useless as that may be." Hinata gave the boy a look. _You didn't realize jumping 15 feet and endangering your life would be difficult? Luck?_ He thought. He began to wish he had just refused the offer. Then he wouldn't be at the top of a 7 story building with nowhere to go but forward.

"What now?" He asked, looking around. The edge of the building was right in front of him, and he took a quick step back. There wasn't much up there, besides dirt and the occasional electricity box. And… was that a trap door in the ground?

Komaeda confirmed his thoughts by approaching said door and crouching down, reaching towards the handle.

"Do you really think such a big company would leave a door unlocked?" Hinata stood over him, watching.

"If we're lucky." He responded, an almost cheeky tone to his voice. He tugged at the handle and pulled at a couple times, the hinges whining from lack of use. And with a loud noise, it began to open under Komaeda's strength. Seeing this, Hinata crouched down to help, and the two of them pulled the metal door up high enough that they could fit through.

"See? Lucky." Komaeda smiled, climbing into the building and leaving Hinata a bit dumbfounded once again.

He followed the boy down a few flights of stairs that looked dirty and rarely used, with a cold damp smell to them, then through a solid door labeled "floor 5". It was much cleaner on the other side, business-like and brightly lit.

"Where-" Hinata started, but was cut off by a sharp look from Komaeda and a signal to be quiet. He could hear people talking, incoherent mumbles that he couldn't pinpoint. Abruptly, the boy pulled him around a sharp corner, then another, leaving Hinata praying that they weren't just getting hopelessly and illegally lost.

With one more turn, He saw an elevator, and let out a silent sigh of relief as Komaeda pressed the "down" button and glanced around the hallway. Afraid to speak, Hinata just gave an inquisitive look until the elevator doors slid open and the pair entered.

"Why not just take the stairs?" Hinata asked as Komaeda tapped the "1" button and the elevator began to move.

"Those stairs lead to a different part of the building. This way, we'll end up right in the middle of the convention." He responded, still so charming and devious. "After all, this building _is _the OOH headquarters. We're lucky that we didn't get caught!" _And you didn't think to tell me that?_ Hinata just sighed. Should he even bother to ask how Komaeda new which stair lead where? Just as he thought to respond, the doors slid open once more to reveal the Convention in all it's glory.

If Hinata thought there were interesting characters outside the building, then the people inside went far beyond interesting. He had never seen so many different weapons in his life, everything from guns to maces, all clearly laced with magic and spells. He stepped out of the elevator taking in the crowd, the tables and tables filled with books and swords and strange glowing orbs and cubes that did who-knows-what. He could hardly breathe, seeing everything he didn't have, everything he wanted to know and be apart of. The atmosphere was amazing unique. Friendly in a way, a community, everyone together as, for once, they were around others who do the same thing as them, who share their gift and curse.

He wanted to see every inch of it.

"Komaeda-kun-" He turned to where his friend was only a second ago to see empty space. He swallowed hard, suddenly unnerved by the thought of exploring the entire building by himself. Had Komaeda ditched him? Or had he merely wandered off without realizing Hinata wasn't following?

As he contemplated which course of action to take, he felt a hand on his shoulder. As Hinata turned around, he found himself face-to-face with a wide grin, pointy teeth, and some very, very pink hair.

"Haven't seen you around here before, have I?"


End file.
